B8942 - Law, Crime & Punishment

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course unit, students: - know the most important concepts of sociology as applied nowadays with reference to criminal phenomena and their punishment, with an emphasis on the evolutionary dimension of relevant theories and the comparison between European and North American approaches; - are capable to apply those concepts independently, especially in fields covering deviance and social control.

Course contents

Why do people commit crimes? Why and how do we punish offenders? This course explores these fundamental questions by engaging with key criminological and sociological theories and debates on crime and its responses from a historical perspective.

 

The seminar is part of the two-year Master's program in Legal Studies and is also open to Erasmus students.

Attendance of at least 70% of the seminar sessions is mandatory for LEGS students and all students attending the course. For non-attending students, the assessment will differ slightly from that of students who attend the course (see below). 

Readings/Bibliography

Carrabine E, Cox A, Cox P, Crowhurst I, Di Ronco A, Fussey P, Sergi A, South N, Thiel D, and Turton J. (2020), Criminology: A Sociological Introduction, 4th ed., London, Routledge. Chapters: 4-9, and 12-13.

Other readings will be assigned during the course and will available on “Virtuale” or through the library.

Teaching methods

Lectures, class discussions, movies, guest speakers. 

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

 

Students who attend the course (i.e. at least 70% of its sessions) can reduce the scope of the final oral examination—answering only two questions instead of three—by delivering an individual or group presentation at the end of the course. In these presentations, students are expected to analyse representations of crime or punishment as depicted in films, television programs, or news media of their choice, and link them to one or more relevant criminological or sociological perspectives covered during the course. Detailed instructions regarding this assessment option will be provided during the course.

During the oral exam, attending students will be asked two or three questions (depending on whether their presented in class or not) based on the lecture materials and 11 key readings from the sessions, which will be available on Virtuale.

 

Erasmus students who choose not to attend the course, or are unable to do so, are required to study chapters 4 to 9 and 12 to 13 of the 4th edition of the textbook Criminology: A Sociological Introduction (these chapters total eight in number). A few copies of this textbook are available in the library. In addition to these eight chapters, students will be examined on 11 key readings. A detailed list of the key readings is available on the course's page on Virtuale.

 

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Power point presentations, audio-visual materials. 

Office hours

See the website of Anna Di Ronco